Titania is finished!

It took me such a long time to add the finishing touches. I still cannot do hands and feet so I improvised. I loved doing her hair! I also loved making her wings and the effect of the light through them. I get really excited about taking the photos-it is like a bonus part of the whole process for me. I print them out on A4 paper and stick them up around the house for a while. I love the drama of the photos and experimenting with the light.

She is quite recycled-her skirt is chicken wire from my old kitchen cupboards, her trousers are ties from a top I have-I hated the ties, they just got in the way. Once I had hacked them off in a temper the other day I realised they would make perfect and easy trousers. The covering on her skirt is newspaper. She has recycled tissue paper with lines from the play which I collaged onto her skirt and she has dried flowers from the garden last year also collaged on. I bought the daisies! Her wings are also recycled tissue paper and her shirt is part of an old sheet.

Visit the ADO blog here to see more Shakespeare challenge dolls and other interesting doll related stuff!

This is only the second doll I have made using an armature and although I found it difficult I can see lots of possibilities so am going to persevere! I managed to find a good source of armature wire yesterday but was a bit surprised at the delivery cost-expensive! I went for it anyway as I have no more. I was surprised by the doorbell this morning-the postman had brought me a very smart box which contained my wire-in a beautiful nest of shredded newspaper-it is thicker than the wire I have been using and I am looking forward to trying it out.

Hope your week is going well.

Experiment With Youtube

I am always seeing great videos on people's blogs and if I ever find any I want to be able to share them too! I looked up how to do it so have experimented on cute cat ping pong video! Visit Anne and Vickie to see two great videos!

I am so excited! It worked!

After the runners have gone and an award

Today was the London Marathon-go here for some fun pictures! This year was the first one for ages that I didn't get up and go outside to watch but instead watched it on the telly whilst eating my breakfast. The runners start just up the road from here and later on I had to go to Sainsbury's. I drove the first four miles of the route (only four miles -seems like a long way to me-how do they do it?!) This man hung off the back of his van, and, as it slowed down just enough, he leant down to pick up cones marking the route. I love how health and safety governs so much of our lives and then there are little windows of risk taking like this! I can't talk, I was taking photos whilst driving! I was going extremely slowly.

I was pleased to see many well sign posted toilet opportunities around the course too! The picture may or may not enlarge when you click on it-it has a mind of its own, but that is a toilet sign there! I was visiting some of my blogging friends and was pleased and surprised to see that Shell at Swan of Dreamers had passed this award on to me. She is a talented actress, and all round literary star! She is a good blogging friend to me, so thanks Shell! This award is in honour of Renee, an amazing person who I am sure many of you know. She is an inspiration in her strength, honesty and kindness.

It is in the form of an acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns…Visit Bella to find out more. She created the award with Ces-visit her here.
I started blogging, not knowing what to expect, just that I really wanted to do it. The best thing about it is the friendships I have made and continue to make. I don't know why I didn't expect that but I didn't! I would like to pass this award on to these friends...

Candace, Eye Candy

Liz, Tidbits From Liz

Janine, Justbeans

Allegra, Beading Stars

Vanessa, A Fanciful Twist

Lynne, Bun Mountain Cottage

Anairam , Fra-(a)iing

Di, Charmingly Simple

Kendalee, Dance of a Painted Lady

and

Elizabeth-About New York

It may seem that I have chosen a lot of people but I think they all deserve it! And I think I may have missed some too.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Visit Hey Harriet here for more shadow shots.

Colourful things...

that make me happy each day.....considered at the end of what seemed a very long week. Having a kitchen table-I have brought the garden one inside and I love it! Saturday morning breakfasts withthe papers here we come! It is a German pub table I bought from Greenwich market. The orange lamp is from Andy's family and I love it on this table.


Pretty teatowels-this one is from Teresa Green.

The blue light in the kettle-I don't know why it is there but it looks beautiful in the dark.

The colours of these cosmetics. And the smell of the face wash-I wish I could blog that-it is gentle and delicious.

My new polka dot wall-I used the card ones as a stencil. I wanted a dark grey paint and I managed to find one. It is not called dark grey, no, nothing so boring. It is 'Urban Obsession'. I do enjoy paint names!

What little things make you happy?

Dandy Lion leaves the desk on a journey somewhere. (He wouldn't say where)But I suspect he was on his way to the scanner to meet his friend.
It is Shakespeare's birthday today so, in honour of this, I intend to do a bit more work on Titania. One day she will be finished. I am so slow!

Dandy Lion Emerges and my tap!

He is wearing his cravat as he is about to attend a lion soiree.

His shoes need a bit of work!

This is our new tap-well newish now. I love this tap-it is a sculpture. Today I noticed it reflecting colours around it and glowing gently. So pretty!

Here is a great collection of quotes about weeds that are making me feel most guilty! I might just leave them alone from now on!

Dandy Lion

While I love gardening, I would say I am a lazy gardener. I have planted lots of things over the six years we have been here and the garden looks very pretty at the moment with lots of tulips, geraniums emerging, and the promise of alliums and honeysuckle to come. But the weeds! They are mainly dandelions and I do like them but they are taking over! Today I invented a form of crisis management gardening which consisted of going round taking the heads off of as many as I could, before they can go to seed and spread their kind even further. (I love the seedheads but in the name of gardening!) I know I should have dug them up but when time is limited I would rather spend it doing other things, and as I said, I am lazy! So, I went round destroying the dandelions, off with their heads. It was surprisingly fun, and did you know, the stem makes a great noise as it is detached? A kind of popping-due to their hollowness I should think. Try it, it is a great sound!

I did save a few, playing house by putting them in a pretty jug. They are outside again now though. As I was drawing I noticed a big juicy greenfly wobbling around. I worry about getting them on the few house plants we have.

I want to make a Dandy Lion paper doll and enjoyed a bit of relaxing sketching.

I'm sure tomorrow I will go out and see many more popping their heads up. I should eat the leaves shouldn't I? I have never tried them but perhaps I will. I will let you know!

Hastings

We were back at the beach today in a different part of the country. We visited our friends in Hastings and as it was such a beautiful sunny day I got lots of shadow photos for Shadowshot Sunday. Visit Hey Harriet here for lots more!

This is one of the fishing boats that had just landed. They head full speed for the beach, go up onto the shingle a little way and then are winched in. It is most exciting to watch!

This is all of us on the windy end of the promenade-we wanted to throw stones into the sea.

This is a very scary looking ride which stronger stomached people than me were enduring.

The Beach at Sandsend

This is a lovely beach if ever you are near...

To The Mallyan

The Mallyan is a waterfall. It is near Goathland-where they film Heartbeat! It is a good walk-quite short but just enough to give you an appetite for a lovely pint at the Birch Hall Inn at Beckhole-conveniently sited half way along the walk. The sign on the pub is an oil painting-protected under concave glass. This is me at the waterfall. The only rain we had all weekend was when we arrived at the pub. We didn't mind! The pub has two bars-one is very tiny and the other one is small. It has a tiny shop that sells sweets and crisps. This is Gary and Clare-our lovely hosts and guides.

It was busy at Beckhole!

We went to many pubs-this one (The Lion Inn) is on the moors, and has very thick walls, making it cosy and toasty whatever the weather outside.

Clare looking ghost like in her furry white jacket.

Andy, Gary, Andy and Chris the poet in a pub-not sure which one!

More holiday tales tomorrow!